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Thursday, May 23, 2013

That's right, Wolf Pack fans — "The Hangover" is back with the third and final installment in the comedy franchise, and boy, does it have a lot to live up to.

"The Hangover III" finds Alan (Zach Galifianakis) at a crossroads in his life: after the death of his father (Jeffrey Tambor), he stops taking his medication, and Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms) and Doug (Justin Bartha) agree to come together to help him get rehabilitation and treatment at a facility in Arizona. But en route to their destination, a ruthless gangster kidnaps Doug and threatens to kill him unless the other three produce Chow (Ken Jeong), who made off with $21 million in gold bars during the group's first round of misadventures in 2009.

The second installment made a boatload of money — one big enough to get the cast to Thailand and back — but it was critically derided, thanks in no small part to its similarities to the first film. But how much are critics liking "The Hangover Part III" so far? Take a look at a few reviews from around the web:

Maybe It's Not As Good As The Original

"While it may not recapture the exact same giddy thrill as the first film, this film manages to clarify what the overall story of the trilogy is in a way that I found satisfying and quite fitting." — Drew McWeeney, Hitfix

How Is This One Different?

"Director Todd Phillips inexplicably aims at making a standard action movie, complete with car chases and break-ins that compound the sense of creative bankruptcy." — David Fear, Time Out London

"At times it's debatable whether 'The Hangover Part III' should even be considered a comedy at all, as it more often plays like a loopily plotted, exposition-heavy actioner." — Andrew Barker, Variety

How's Zach Galifianakis?

"Galifianakis does hairy manchild better than anyone since Robin Williams, but third time around (fourth if you count Phillips' 'Due Date'), he's starting to feel stuck in his schtick." — Matthew Leyland, Total Film

How Well Does 'III' Wrap Up The Series?

"The 'Hangover' franchise positions spoiled douchebags as admirable and cool, visually aggrandized with slow-motion hero walks like Gemini astronauts in 'The Right Stuff.' Phillips is zero percent interested in exploring the narcissism of his characters, as long as they arrive back exactly at the point of departure." — Chris Packham, The Village Voice